CBI arraigns former IPS officers in ISRO espionage case

The CBI has arraigned former IPS officers, including Gujarat former DGP R B Sreekumar, in a case pertaining to the conspiracy behind the over 25-year-old ISRO espionage case.

Then DIG (Crimes) Siby Mathews, who headed the special team that probed the case, former DySP K K Joshua, who was a member in the team, and former police special branch inspector S Vijayan were among the other officers arraigned. Sreekumar was a deputy director with the Intelligence Bureau.

The CBI initiated a probe into the conspiracy angle on the basis of a Supreme Court directive in April. Former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan, who was accused of espionage and was later acquitted, had alleged conspiracy and the SC ordered Rs 50 lakh compensation to him in 2018. The SC subsequently appointed the Justice D K Jain committee to find appropriate actions against the erring officials and based on the committee's report the SC ordered a CBI probe.

The CBI first-information-report had charged the accused of wrongful confinement and custodial torture.

The ISRO espionage case originated in 1994 with the Kerala police registering cases under the Foreigners Act and Official Secret Act against two Maldivian women and two scientists of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre alleging espionage. Apart from Narayanan, another ISRO scientist was also arraigned. Then Chief Minister K Karunakaran was also in a tight spot as his close confidante and IPS officer Raman Srivastava was also alleged to have links to the case.

But the CBI which later took over the probe dismissed the charges as fabricated and recommended action against the police officers. Subsequently, Narayanan initiated a legal battle seeking action against the police officials and compensation.

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